The preparation of bread or pastry in which yeast is used as a proofing agent comprises substantially the following steps. First, the dough ingredients are mixed and kneaded. Next, the so-called preproofing or bulk fermentation and preshaping take place. Preproofing or bulk fermentation is not required in making of so called "no time" dough. Subsequently, the so-called intermediate proofing step and the definitive shaping take place. Finally, the final proofing or pan proofing takes place and then the fully raised, i.e., the fully proofed and shaped dough is baked. The end product is a baked bread or pastry product.
The total process takes quite a long time, depending on the ingredients used, local tradition and the like, and in certain cases may be as long as six or eight hours. The process cannot be interrupted, in principle, since the action of the yeast, i.e. the proofing process, continues.
Owing to the long duration of this process and the demand for fresh bread and pastry in the morning hours, preparation mostly takes place during the night, which is felt as a drawback. Besides, variations in demand cannot be coped with. Therefore, a possibility to interrupt the preparation process has been looked for. The process can then take place, at least partly, at a more convenient point of time and, if desired, in a different place.
It is known to cool the dough after shaping and prior to the final proofing, to e.g. -12.degree. C. The proofing process is then interrupted and can be resumed one or some days later.
It is further known to freeze a definitively shaped doughpiece prior to the final proofing. Such a frozen doughpiece can be further processed up to about 3 months later. To that effect, the doughpiece is first defrosted at 0.degree. C., which may take from one to ten hours, depending on the weight. Thereafter the final proofing takes place at normal temperature for 1 to 11/2 hours and finally, the doughpiece is baked. Accordingly, this so-called bake-off process takes much time, so that a similar drawback is encountered as in the non-interrupted bread preparation process.
The patented prior art discloses various bread manufacturing techniques some of which involve the production of frozen dough pieces.
EP-A-0,115,108 (General Foods Corporation) corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,104 and discloses a method of freezing a fully shaped and finally proofed doughpiece. EP-A-0,115,108 has as its main purpose improving the frozen storage shelf life of frozen dough. The frozen doughpiece, according to the known method, can be placed directly from the freezer in an oven to be baked off. To obtain a good quality of the end product, however, it is necessary according to this known technique, to use flour having a protein content of 16% or higher. Such a protein-rich flour, however, is difficult to obtain and expensive.
EP-A-0,145,367 (General Foods Corporation) discloses a method of preparing entirely proofed baking dough, enabling one to freeze doughpieces formed therefrom and, after a given storage period, to place these directly from the freezer in an oven to be baked. Defrosting and final proofing are not necessary according to EP-A-0,45,367. When flour having a protein content lower than 16% is used, the dough is kneaded at a low intensity and the doughpieces are frozen slowly. However, such a pastry dough is unsuitable for preparing bread products, and so is the method described. EP-A-0,145,367 further discloses two-phase mixing. The first phase is a usual premixing step and the second phase is a real kneading step which is maintained for five minutes only. At that time, the dough is not yet fully developed and the temperature is about 18.degree. C.
EP-A-0,114,450 (General Foods Corporation) corresponds to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,406,911 and 4,450,177 and describes a method of preparing entirely proofed, frozen doughpieces from bread dough. Doughpieces can be baked off in an oven directly from the freezer, without an intermediate defrosting step. To obtain an end product of good quality according to this known technique, it is necessary that gum, surfactants and ingredients that can form a protein film are added to the dough.
EP-A-0,194,189 (Grands Moulins de Pantin) describes a method of preparing French bread, in which frozen doughpieces are prepared that can be placed directly from the freezer in an oven to be baked off. The technique described, according to which the doughpieces should rise at low temperature (about 0.degree. C.) for a prolonged period (about 48 hours) and subsequently be frozen at -50.degree. C., requires much time and is difficult to realize in actual practice.
French patent application 2,589,043 (SGP Armoricane) relates to the production of a dough for French bread which may be frozen and stored. When preparing the French bread, the frozen dough is taken from the freezer, thawed and only then baked off.
FR-A-2,344,229 (Bourdon) describes a method of preparing products from puff pastry dough. A flour is used that is rich in gluten. The pieces formed from the puff pastry dough are caused to rise, but the proofing process is discontinued abruptly half-way by freezing the doughpieces quickly.
EP-A-0,3ll,240 (Rheon) relates to a special method of treating a dough by stretching it while subjecting it to vibrations.
Collins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,193 discloses a kneading method for the production of soft bread, according to which method a relatively large amount of energy is applied. Collins does not relate to the production of frozen dough pieces. Collins specifically relates to the production of so-called "no-time" dough, which is a dough that does not require fermentation in bulk. Collins aims at improving the old so-called Chorleywood Bread Process of bread production which has been generally abandoned in the 60's because various problems. The texture problem has apparently been solved by Collins but another problems remains. This is the problem that the development of aromatic substances which normally occurs during proofing cannot take place in a satisfactory manner.
Lindstrom in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,151 discloses using alcohol in leavened dough which must be frozen. Lindstrom prescribes placing the frozen dough in a cold oven which makes his method unsuitable for commercial purposes. Further, Lindstrom uses a rather large amount of alcohol as a melting point depressant so as to allow the dough to quickly thaw before the oven reaches its baking temperature.
It appears from the above cited literature that it has been tried in the past in various manners to develop methods for both bread products and other dough products, according to which a frozen doughpiece can be prepared that has a long storage and shelf life in frozen condition and which can be baked off directly from the freezer with and without an intermediate defrosting step.
A drawback of the known methods is that in actual practice these are difficult to realize and/or time-consuming and/or expensive, while also the quality of the end product is not always optimal.